The present invention generally relates to subtitles of films and television programs for the online market. More particularly, the present invention is directed to a method for purchasing and synchronizing subtitling files with streamed video or other moving image content on-demand from a consumer.
Audiovisual content markets are undergoing significant transformation due to digital technology. Market demand is forcing stakeholders to adapt their business strategies and shaping licensing practices in the sector. Because of the linguistic and cultural specificities across borders, the international market is fragmented. Cultural and linguistic versioning is essential to create consumer demand for each film or television program. The current investment by content owners associated with “localization” including linguistic versioning is considerable. Storing digital subtitle files in multiple languages on a central database separate from the program's master digital files, and making the “localization” a consumer controlled option may facilitate distribution across borders and reduce the need for—and cost of—linguistic versioning.
Subtitles are translated and compressed written versions of spoken dialog in films, television programs and the like for an audience that does not understand the original language, or needs some assistance in understanding/perceiving the dialogue, or wishes to use subtitles as an aid in learning a foreign language.
Subtitles are different from closed captions (for the hard of hearing) in that it is not a verbatim transcription of the dialog and does not contain additional information like “Door creaking”, “dog barking”, etc. It is the translated visual representation of dialog in synchronous display with the original, spoken dialog as it occurs throughout the course of a film, television program, or other moving images. The placement of these subtitles is variable, but is typically found in a “title-safe area” in the lower third of the displayed program.
Typically there are three steps in creating subtitles:
1) Compressing text and time coding;
2) Translation;
3) Quality Check (QC) Proof reading and technical check;
Specialized computer software and hardware is used by audiovisual translators where the video or moving image files, film, or digital capture is digitally stored on digital media, making each individual frame instantly accessible. Not only does this software position the text in the display area, it also denotes, using time code, the exact positions in the program timeline where each subtitle should appear and disappear. The end result is a subtitle file containing the actual subtitles as well as position or timing markers indicating where each subtitle should appear and disappear. The finished subtitle file is used to add the subtitles to the picture using multiple methods: directly into the picture; or embedded in the vertical interval (video); or later superimposed on the picture by the end user with the help of a browser, an external decoder, or a decoder built into the television; or converted or rendered to TIFF, BMP, SRT graphics or the like that are later superimposed on the picture by the online distribution platform and/or end user's equipment.
Studies indicate that sixty percent of online video consumers watch foreign/international content. Many of these consumers need subtitles to fully enjoy the content that they are watching. Moreover, it is likely that many consumers throughout the world are not buying foreign content because—without subtitles in a language relevant to them—they cannot view and understand films and television content that is produced in a foreign language. Moreover, migration and mobility characterizes much of the world's population today. Thus, there exist many people who live in a country having a dominant language who do not speak that language. Those individuals may need the option of selecting subtitles in languages not normally available in their country or region so as to be able to enjoy the same entertainment as the native speaking population. Globally, 1.2 billion people currently have access to fixed or mobile broadband Internet. Studies indicate that 90 percent of the world's online population is watching video online and 71 percent are willing to pay for online films and video. (Accenture 2013) In 2012 the Global OTT Market represented 10 billion US dollars and is predicted to continue to gain market shares and increase in popularity for the next several years. (OTT or Over-The-Top is content delivered directly over the Internet)
Although some films and television programs are subtitled in foreign languages, in many other instances they are not. Audiovisual translation practices vary from one country to the next, and sometimes even within the same country, depending on whether the work is for box-office release or television, or in terms of the target public (general public, cinema enthusiasts, young viewers, or population with accessibility problems). There are currently no service or services similar to the proposed invention in the streaming, online, and/or mobile platform space. With the increasing popularity and availability of audiovisual entertainment on broadband Internet, new devices, Video-on-Demand, connected TV and other Online Distribution Networks, lack of relevant subtitles in multiple languages regardless of geographic location is limiting the market for content owners as well as consumers.
Accordingly, there is a need for a process for offering subtitles for streamed or downloaded audiovisual content in a manner that alleviates copying and copyright concerns, protects the integrity of the content owner's works, and allows the program provider to derive revenue while easily and relatively inexpensively providing these works with on-demand-access to the appropriate language subtitle to the international online audience.
The present invention fulfills these needs and provides other related advantages.